Amusement device.



No. 887,812. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

F. JOHNSON. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 27. 19o7.

3" )IIWIIH B WITN88E8: I INVENTOR ATTORNEY citizen of the United States, residing in the ported on casters is v chine, certain portions of the platform being casters;

. 1 latfornn and each .side View; partly in vertical section, showing 'form'is incline d downwardly from one edge of the. casters is received.

FRANK .ltlllliy'SON, OF NEW YOl-Qh. Y.

AMUSEBIENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed April 27, 1907. Serial No. 1370,5445.

'1 o alt whom it may concern: v I

Be it known that l, F-PANK Joi-insos, a

city of blcnfl'l'orli, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful l mproven'ient in Anmsenmnt Dmiccs, of which the following a specification.

The invention relates to vehicles or wheeled-inachincs in which a pie form suppropolled by the move-- ments of an opera-tor standing thereon, and the object of the invention is to 'proride an easily operated machine of this character, requiring skill and muscular activity in its ro mission and management, thus affording ealthful. exercise and harmless amusement.

The invention consists in. certain llUVhl featuresand details of construction bywhich the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described.

The accom anying' drawings form a part of this s eciii cation and show a preferred form of t e invention.

Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the mashown as broken away, to show the parts he- Death. F g. 2 1s a side view. .Fig. 3 1s a the front or steering caster and adjacent portions, on a larger scale. Fig. 4 1s a corresponding view of one of the rear or driving Similar letters of reference indicate the same arts in all the figures.

As 1-lustrated in the drawings the machine comprises aplatform A which may be wood, preferably, triangular in form with a plane upper face, mounted upon three swiveling castersloeated one at each angle. The plator baseline at the rear, toward the opposite angle at the front, and is'strengthened by a framework of; metal beneath in which are tubular lugs or sockets each projecting downwardly at a right angle to the plane of the carrying antifriction eaiiiiigs in which the spindle or sh anlc of one "B B are the rear or driving caster Wheels mounted-as usual in downwardly-curved laterally extendirig stocks B B and B B are A mounted axially in the sockets A A" so that these casters can swivel as usual.

The front or steering caster wheel (.5 is similarly ji'iurnalcd in a shorter and lower stool; (l having a longer spindle 1' extending tl'no'ugih the platform. A. and rotating n halthearii A A in the front soclwl. .l. ()n the upper end of the spindle is secured a yoke or tiller-head ll having ('olds or tiller ropes i) attz'ivlied to its ends, ll-fi' which steering" caster may be turned or swung to control the direction of its travel and thus guide the nn chim-i.

The operator stands upon the platform facing toward the front "with. the tillcr-ro'i ies in his hands, and by swaying movements of his body to shift the center of gravity alternately from side to side-in a manner somewhat analogous to'a skating motion, the roar portion. of the inacl'iine is caused to swing at ternately to the left and rightand induces a general forward movement of the machine,

-' the dircctioi'i of which may be controlled by the steering caster through the tiller-ropes. The effort to inaintain'an upright position and to propel the machine and also to guide it successfully,requires skilful' balancing; in attaii'iing which the muscles are exercised, and much amusementaflorded both to the operator and spectators.

Importance is attached to the inclination of the platform. My experiments indicate that the machinethus arranged is propclied with less effort than is required to move one in which the platform is horizontally disposed; this difference is believed to be due to the tendency of the operator on the inclined form to throw' the center of gravity further to the rear, thus causing the rear or driving casters to carry a greater proportion. of the load and therefore to work more effectually. By mounting the spindles-of the casters in ball-bearings and with their axial lines perpendicular to the plane of the *)latform,

the friction. of these relatively moving parts is lessened. I

The laterally extending stock 0 of the steering Wheel 0 permits the side to side osci lations of'the driving casters and rear portion of the platform to take )lace about the spindle without material rection of the steering caster, thus facilitating the Work of guiding the machine. I claim I 1. in a machine of the character set forth,

v1.05 ly changing the dia platform inclined (.lownwardly from the rear portion toward the front portion, driving casters supporting; said rear portion, a steering caster sup porting said front portion, and cords for controlling the direction ol' travel of said steering caster.

2. In a machine ofthe character set lorth, a trian 'ular platl'orrn inclined. downwardly from a line forming the base of a triangle at the rear portion toward the opposite angle at the front portion, casters supportii'ig said rear portion, a steering caster supporting said front portion, and cords for controlling the direction of travel of said steering caster.

3. Ina machine ol the character set l'orth, a platform inclined downwardly from. the rear portion toward the front portion, sockets on said platform, at the front and rear, the spindles of the. rear cash-it's being longer than those of the front and casters supporting said platform, the spindles of said casters received in said sockets and held therein with their axial lines perpendicular to the plane of said platform.

4-. In a machine of the character set forth,

a triangular platform inclined downwardly from a line forming the base o'l-tl'ie triangle at the rear portion of said platform to the opposite angle at the front rmrtion, sockets on said datlorm, one of said sockets located at each angle thereof, driving casters supporting said rear portion, a steering caster supporting said front portion, antiiriction bearings in said sockets, the spindles of said casters received. in said hearings with the axial lines,thereofperpendicular to the plane of said plat'lorni, a tiller-head on the spindle of said steering caster, and tiller-ropes attached to said tiller-head, whereby the direction oi travel 0'! said steering caster is controlled.

in testimony that I claim the invention ahovc set forth 1 it'lllX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK JOHNSON.

Witnesses: ()nAnLns It. SEARLE,

. FQE. Eoonnnr. 

